Post by jenny123 on Jan 20, 2014 22:18:14 GMT -5
FIVE QUICK NBA HOOPS THOUGHTS Happy Holidays to all. May each of you have a wonderful Holiday Season. Lets chat some hoops. 1. JOSE CALDERON (Mavericks): Loved what I saw from him last Friday night in Dallas. Tremendous confidence right now in his shooting which sets the table for his screen and roll game. Playing in the back court with Monta Ellis has opened up his game and having a future Hall of Famer in Dirk Nowitzki to attract double teams is ideal for him. Good landing spot for him. 2. MARCO BELINELLI (Spurs): Another former Raptor. Boy, the Bulls could sure use him now with their offensive woes. Terrific pickup for his new team. Hes got three-point shooting ability and nifty creativity off the bounce. Good competitor that fits the best System team in the league. Isnt it amazing? The Spurs always find a way to add a guy who makes sense for their team. They know what theyre doing. 3. JOHN SALMONS (Raptors): Its funny how guys grow on you when you see them at work each day. I have a better appreciation of his game up close. Always respected his scoring punch yet never appreciated how smart a player he is. He is a sound defender and can create scoring chances for teammates. Heady and capable player. 4. ARRON AFFLALO (Magic): His name gets tossed around in trade talks yet he produces. A steady combo guard who has good versatility in his game. Like him. Energetic guy who can put pressure on defences. If youre looking to add a third guard on a very good team hes an ideal guy to target. 5. JEREMY LAMB (Thunder): Scott Brooks now has more firepower off his bench with Reggie Jackson and this guy. Shooting right around 40 per cent from three-point range and is getting more confident in playing in the lane with physical contact. Uses screens well and moves without the ball with a purpose. Big part of the James Harden trade for GM Sam Presti. Hes slowing his game down, reading situations better and becoming more efficient. Hes going to be an important piece to their success as this season progresses. Demaryius Thomas Super Bowl Jersey . The top-seeded Monaco claimed his first title since winning three in 2007 -- and all have come on clay. The victory marked a breakthrough for the 27-year-old Monaco, who lost in the final at this tournament in 2008 and 2010. Womens Mike Adams Super Bowl Jersey .ca! Hi Kerry! I hope you saw that attempt by Joffrey Lupul to elbow Henrik Sedin in the head on Saturday, but missed and took out Nazem Kadri. www.authenticbroncosjerseysnfl.com/Womens_Super-bowl-48-demaryius-thomas-jersey/ . "Everybody knows Cirque du Soleil. Weve all seen the shows. Its something anyone can relate to," said Tracy Little, a member of Canadas national synchronized swimming team, told CTVOlympics. Youth John Elway Super Bowl Jersey . With the expiration date on the current collective bargaining agreement -- Sept. 15 -- drawing near, NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr, and his top assistant and brother, Steve Fehr, sat down with commissioner Gary Bettman and his deputy, Bill Daly, for a status check after a week of little to no communication. Youth Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie Super Bowl Jersey .C. -- Jamie Benn and Loui Eriksson are developing quite a connection.FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Atlanta tight end Tony Gonzalez put off retirement for one more year with a single goal in mind: winning his first Super Bowl ring. But the Falcons are mired in a three-game losing streak and ravaged by injuries, so it seems more and more likely that Gonzalezs farewell season will wind up being a real bummer. Just dont go telling him that. "As far as Im concerned," Gonzalez said Thursday, "were still in it." Looking at the bleak situation through the rosiest of glasses, the future Hall of Famer insisted he has no regrets about tacking on another season to his already brilliant career, and he flatly denied any interest in being traded to a contender -- with his previous team, the Kansas City Chiefs, being an obvious source of speculation. "This is the team I came back for. These are the guys I came back to play with," Gonzalez said, looking around the Falcons locker room. "Im enjoying myself: win, lose or draw. Obviously, I would rather win. It makes it a lot more fun. But theres no way I would even think about jumping ship, because I love playing for this team and I love playing for this city." Gonzalez and the Falcons (1-4) began the year with a Super Bowl-or-bust mindset, but a devastating string of injuries have helped send them spiraling to their worst losing streak since 2007. Four starters have already gone down with season-ending injuries, including Pro Bowl receiver Julio Jones. Other key players have missed extensive time, including defensive leader Sean Weatherspoon and running back Steven Jackson. Still more are slowed by nagging ailments, most notably star receiver Roddy White. But Gonzalez refuses to believe that all hope is lost. "Im not there yet," he said. "Not even close." The Falcons, who host winless Tampa Bay on Sunday, are coming off a bye week that gave everyone a chance to assess what they must do to turn things around. It also provided ample time for speculation about whether Gonzalez would really want to stick things out if the losing persisted, especially when the Chiefs are off to an 6-0 start. He spent a dozen years in Kansas City before signing off on a trade to Atlanta in 2009. Last season, Gonzalez finally got his first playoff win and nearly made it to the Super Bowl, the Falcons coming up 10 yards short of beating San Francisco in the NFC championship game.dddddddddddd The thrilling ride prompted a change on heart on his oft-stated plans to retire, luring him back for a 17th season. Alas, it hasnt gone as expected. "I know theres trade rumours out there," he said. "I would never go and ask them for a trade. If thats something they want to do to help their franchise, thats up to them. But it wouldnt be coming from me. I came back to play with these guys. I have a great relationship with these guys, and the coaches too. These are guys I will call friends for the rest of my life, so Im not going to jump ship." Theres certainly been no drop-off in productivity for the 37-year-old Gonzalez. He ranks second on the Falcons and fourth among all NFL tight ends with 33 receptions, accounting for 339 yards and three touchdowns. At this pace, Gonzalez would end his career with a career-best 106 receptions, which is especially impressive when considering the lengths that opposing defences have gone to in hopes of shutting him down. Most notably, both New England and the New York Jets employed tight double-teaming in an attempt to keep Gonzalez from even getting off the line, a tactic that is normally used to hold up a speedy player from covering punts. With Jones (41 receptions) done for the season because of a foot injury, Gonzalez can expect to draw even more attention from the other side of the line -- especially with White still struggling to get up to speed after sustaining a high ankle sprain in the preseason. "If I get double-teamed or get that punt coverage-style gunner defence again, I would hope and expect my teammates to step up and make plays," Gonzalez said. "Weve still got some real good players on the offensive side of the football. Weve still got Matt Ryan throwing the ball." Those teammates are fully aware of why Gonzalez came back for one more season. They still hope to send him out in style. "Everybody is trying their hardest to make sure we get that done," said rookie tight end Levine Toilolo, one of Gonzalezs backups. "We still have a lot of football left to play." ' ' '